2 Kings 21:2

2Ki 21:2 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Ver. 2. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord.] Drawn thereunto, likely, by his young courtiers and evil counsellors: as young lapwings are apt to be snatched up by every buzzard. Little did good Hezekiah - when he was so loath to die because he had no son to succeed him - think, what a son he should leave behind him. The Rabbis fable, that Isaiah, coming on a time to visit Hezekiah, told him that his son Manasseh there present should prove a great persecutor of the prophets, and of himself in particular: and that hereupon Hezekiah would have slain Manasseh, but that the prophet held and hindered him.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 21:2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord — Through his own vicious inclinations, and the instigation of the wicked princes of Judah, who in Hezekiah’s time were secret enemies to the reformation which he was endeavouring to effect; and now, when the restraint which they had been under was removed by his death, broke forth into open hostility against it, and corrupted the king’s tender years with their wicked counsels. After the abominations of the heathen — It had been his father’s first care to root all idolatry out of his kingdom, and to restore the service of the temple to its pristine order and splendour. But this his graceless son, on the contrary, made it his study to banish religion and morality out of the country, to revive the old idolatry, and to introduce new and unheard-of idols and ceremonies; besides witchcraft, sorceries, and every wicked custom that was used among the heathen far and near. Baal became now the favourite object of his worship: Moloch and the valley of Hinnom were now more frequented than ever; the impious king encouraging his impious subjects to sacrifice their children there, as Ahaz had done before. He did not, however, pass unpunished for these offences: but for the particulars of his punishment, which are not mentioned in this book, the reader must be referred to 2Ch 33:11, &c. See Dodd.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 2. After the abominations of the heathen] He exactly copied the conduct of those nations which God had cast out of that land.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) And he did that which was evil.—Perhaps under the pernicious influence of his courtiers. (Comp. the case of Rehoboam.)

After the abominations.—Comp. Deu_29:17; 1Ki_11:5.

The heathen . . . cast.—The nations . . . dispossessed—i.e., the peoples of Canaan (2Ki_17:8).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. after the abominations of the heathen] He followed all the idolatrous practices of the nations of Canaan, but as is said below, in verse 2, it was greater sin in him than in them, because he sinned in spite of knowledge.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,.... Was guilty of idolatry:

after the abomination of the Heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel: the old Canaanites; he committed idolatry in imitation of them, and as the Phoenicians now did before the children of Israel: the old Canaanites; he committed idolatry in imitation of them, and as the Phoenicians now did.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Manasseh during his minority naturally fell under the influence of the chief Jewish nobles, with whom the pure religion of Yahweh was always unpopular (compare 2Ch 24:17-18; Jer 8:1-2). They seem to have persuaded him, not only to undo Hezekiah’s work, but to proceed to lengths in polytheism, magic, and idolatry, unknown before. The sins of Manasseh’s reign appear to have been those which filled up the measure of Judah’s iniquity, and brought down the final sentence of doom on the last remnant of the chosen people (2Ki 23:26; compare Jer 15:4).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Idols. Hebrew, "abominations," (Calmet) as their worship was attended with the greatest infamy and dissolution, and was in itself the source of God’s chastisements. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord; partly by the instigation of the wicked princes of Judah, who in Hezekiah’s time were secret enemies to his reformation, and now, when their fetters were knocked off by Hezekiah’s death, break forth into open hostility against it, and corrupt the king’s tender years with their wicked counsel; and principally by his own vicious inclination.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. He did… after the abominations of the heathen — Keil thinks that the young and inexperienced king was led into idolatry by such a godless party in the nation as is described in Isa_28:14; Isa_30:9-11.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. Manasseh was too young at the death of his father for his character to have been then definitively formed. He probably fell under the influence of the "princes of Judah," who, supported by many of the priests, had maintained themselves as a party antagonistic to Isaiah during the whole of Hezekiah"s reign. Hezekiah"s reformation had been carried out against their wishes.

They had always leant towards foreign alliances (Isa_20:5 Isa_30:1-7) and foreign rites. (Isa_2:6-9 Isa_65:3) The accession of a boy-kingwould be joyfully hailed by them, and they would make every effort to draw him to their side. It would seem that they were successful. After the abominations of the heathen the details which follow in vers. 3-9 sufficiently explain this strong expressionwhom the Lord east out before the children of Israel. It was solely because of their abominations that they were east out (see Gen_15:16; Lev_18:25 Lev_20:23; Deu_9:5 Deu_18:12, etc.)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.